Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Internet Tuesday - Universal Battle

This week I thought I'd highlight Universal Battle. This is a tool whereby you can fight Warhammer battles against people via the net.

The Interface is a Top-down View of the Battlefield

Effectively UB is the website universal battle.com. The website provides a digital platform to meet opponents and play games without the need for physical interaction. Now to a lot of people that might sound horrific - one of the key attractions of gaming for me is the physical nature of the game and social interaction. However it can provide an attractive proposition in three key areas.

Firstly, some people have limited opponents due to geographical isolation. Secondly, it allows practice of certain comp systems against a wider range of people than may be available in your local gaming group. And lastly, it removes the need to physical have the models so people can test different army builds very easily.

At this time of year you can click on and you'll see it being used extensively for ETC preparation. Teams will be trying out different builds and new armies to see how they go. For instance, a month ago you couldn't click on without seeing 5-6 games using the new Wood Elves.

All the ETC Maps were uploaded early so you could practice on them

To play games on the system you need to buy a subscription. However this is pretty cheap. Alternatively if you are a voyeur then you can log in as a Guest and watch to your heart's content. If you don't want tourists then you can make your games private.

I generally check in most evenings to see what builds are been used. I've played a few games on the system and while initially fiddly you soon get the hang of it. The ability to try tactics and different builds is useful.

So if you have a half hour I'd recommend clicking on and checking out the site. If you find it has ongoing use then please support it.

It's a great tool to use if you've only got a spare few hours. Playing a physical game with a mate can take 4 hours when you consider travelling to their house, unpacking and then playing. With UB you can unpack your army and map in a few clicks and with another person experienced with UB get a game done in 2 hours or less. Will never replace playing on the table, but for the reasons you listed above a good alternative in the right situation.